Transparency
407 Articles
Congress Wakes Up, Finally Decides to Tackle Kleptocracy
A brief overview of some of the bills in question, including the most important piece of anti-kleptocracy legislation the U.S. has ever seen,
New Resource Tool Sheds Light on Government’s Prepublication Review System
For more than three years, the American Civil Liberties Union and the Knight First Amendment Institute at Columbia University have been litigating a series of Freedom of Information…
Revisiting General Counsel Ney’s Speech in Light of New Pentagon Leadership
Former Department of Defense official (OSD) Luke Hartig critiques General Counsel Paul Ney's recent speech on the framework governing US military operations.
Unsealed Documents in Special Counsel Mueller’s Investigation [Updated]
Special Counsel Robert Mueller has prosecuted the Russia investigation by bringing charges against a number of former Trump campaign officials and their associates, and against…
The Supreme Court Just Made It Easier to Conceal Abuse of Migrant Detainees
The U.S. Supreme Court has reversed a half-century of precedent on citizens’ rights to know what their government is doing, by making it more difficult for the public to probe…
Transparency on Civilian Harm in Somalia Matters – Not Just to Americans
"Under the Bush, Obama, and Trump administrations, much of the commentary on the use of lethal force in counterterrorism operations has focused on the importance of transparency…
What Has Bill Barr Done to Earn the Benefit of the Doubt?
Luppe Luppen critiques James Comey's and Benjamin Wittes's claim that the public should assume good faith on the part of Bill Barr.
Costs of War Can’t Be Assessed Without Official Civilian Casualty Estimates
A response to Maj. General Charles Dunlap and others who argue that tracking civilian casualties is like tallying "body counts" in Vietnam.
How Barr May Interpret What It Means to Withhold “Grand Jury Information”
While federal rules govern grand jury secrecy, they contain room for interpretation. Here's how the Attorney General may interpret them broadly to hide a large swath of Mueller's…
Letter to the Editor: Where Luke Hartig and I Agree on Drones (it’s more than you might think)
Luke Hartig’s critique of my essay, “Body Counts Are Terrible Way for the Public to Assess US Counter-Terrorism Operations” is a thoughtful one, and I urge everyone to read…
Scramble to Erase New Zealand Attack Videos Exposes Pitfalls Too
The white supremacist who attacked two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand, created a Facebook livestream of his assault that spread at an alarming rate. At times, YouTube said,…
Now Mueller’s Probe is Over, Should and Will His Findings Be Made Public? Law and Past Practice
The first waiting game is over. Special Counsel Robert Mueller has completed his role as Special Counsel and delivered his findings to Attorney General William Barr.
Now, the…